


Plucked from the Garden

by latt



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Attempted Kidnapping, Attempted Sexual Assault, Intersex, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:01:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26227597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/latt/pseuds/latt
Summary: After nearly ten years in solitude, Ignis finds his hands full with a runaway omega. What follows is quiet domestic bliss between two strangers, one outrunning the past and the other avoiding his future.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 7
Kudos: 44





	Plucked from the Garden

**Author's Note:**

> THANKS TO MY BOOTIFUL BETA READERS. *MUAH*  
> Happy Birthday Noct :3

_Run_.

He ran, skidding over dead leaves and gravel. Swinging behind a tree, his heart raced to match the headache that threatened to split him open. The sky shimmered with pre-dawn.

_You have a destiny._

“C’mon, your Highness! You’ll hurt yourself!”

One, two shakes of the hand. No magic still; he knew that but all he needed was one spark. Just one more warp. He’ll be free. They’re too close, too close!

_What he deserves is a good knot to shut his whining._

The stamina training, the laps around the citadel had nothing on this deadsprint, legs numb, lungs surely scorched. Was that a clearing? The trees did not enlarge as he got closer. Odd, quite odd until realization sucked the last molecules of air in his body. He fell. 

~

 _Another nightmare_ , Ignis sighed, shaking the excess tremors from his hands. Dawn slanted in from the dewy morning, illuminated the clean bedspread, and the rustic wood floor. All Ignis could see though was lightning arcing through his heart. Sleep would certainly not grace him again, so perhaps coffee and a good book were in order.

~

He had a garden—a modest grove that stretched from the back of the house to the gentle stream near the edge of a rocky hill. A few plum trees, an apple tree, a happy bunch of herbs and vegetables, and cheery little flowers if he had room to spare. Two topbar hives were kept tucked away within a small clearing of wildflowers and sweet berries.

He sat upon the tiny porch, legs neatly crossed as he listlessly flipped through a look-back of an avant-garde artist, his eyes glazing over as the author described the history of the artist's summer home. Sighing, he shut the book and leaned back, heels digging into the rough wood.

He had a garden, where he hummed along with the lovely little bees as they bounced from flower to flower. Would it be too early to harvest the honey? Most definitely, but those bees have been quite busy so the panels were heavy with it. He wondered about the size of the eggplants before his reverie was broken by shouting and laughter. His ears twitched and his nose crinkled. Someone was stupid enough to trespass on alpha territory and he suffered no fools. 

He gingerly placed his visor over his nose and stretched his tired bones, grabbing the sturdy copper cane that always rested by his side. More shouting, turning to yips and growls that set his teeth on edge. _Absolute morons_ , he thought as they appeared over the hill's crest.

"Look, we don't even need to hold him down."

"Aw, Libertus is gonna miss this."

"Serves him right for being a coward."

 _For the Astrals, sincerely what the fuck_ , he grimaced. He prowled around the largest boulder bordering his property to see three men and one woman crowded over the prone figure on one of the gentler slopes. It's been years, but the acrid smell of burning plastic is one that's hard to forget. An omega stressed to the heavens. His gut twisted.

At best, it was a bunch of lost hikers but no. The group surrounded the omega; one of them ground his boot into his ankle and the poor soul let out a strangled whimper. Ignis’ heart sunk.

“I will return home and—!” He cried out when one of them kicked his ribs. 

“Oh, _sweetheart_ . Daddy ain’t here to save you. You’ll never see him again after that frigid nightmare takes you to Gralea.” Her voice was light and airy as she continued, “Such a shame your first knot is gonna be _her_. Are you sure you don’t want one of us--”

The omega spat in her face when she leaned in, her leery smile quickly twisting into disgust. Before she could grab his hair, Ignis stepped directly into the group’s view. He had seen enough to confirm their motives. The uniforms they wore itched at a hazy memory, though.

“You are trespassing." he said, tapping his cane on the ground. Once. Twice. A static charge. Two of the alphas had good enough sense to look nervous.

The tension popped and sizzled, hemming taut. 

Three—

"Of course. We’ll be on our way," the biggest alpha scoffed, "Just grab him-"

"No," Ignis clicked his tongue, eyes sliding to the figure on the ground, "He stays here. Now leave." He kept his voice mellow for certainly they must feel the static in the air.

"He's ours!" snarled the woman as she clutched the guy's wrist again. The omega tugged listlessly.

"He's no more yours than he is mine," Ignis muttered before snapping the cane in the direction of the member furthest from the omega and willing a tiny spark to fly from his fingertips, racing down the cane and straight at that fish-mouth idiot. 

Chaos erupted as the pack of guards fled, just taking enough time to grab their crispy friend and scramble back up the hill.

 _Fools_.

A low whimper pulled Ignis from his little victory and he sighed, edging towards the man. In the stark daylight, he noted the blooming bruises and cuts, how wrong his ankle looked.

"Darling, what did they do to you?" he sighed, kneeling down to scoop the man up, his cane tucked in the crook of his elbow. 

"Please, stop—don't, please..." The omega's broken moans chipped at his heart, and he wished bitterly he'd been a cruel man. Someone who could bury a body. He definitely had property for it and those vermin definitely deserved it.

But he put those thoughts neatly away as he opened the door with the omega whispering, still grasping at his shirt with white-knuckled ferocity.

"Help, please; anything you want..." Ignis carefully sat him down on the couch, hand briefly touching his sweaty forehead. The muttering finally stopped, but his eyes were wide and glassy. He was not accustomed to caring this way anymore, not for a long time, but he knew fever for what it was. He sighed and while it took some straining, he found the ribbons of his alpha marker, producing soothing tones as he brushed away the omega's dark bangs.

"It's alright, you are safe," he watched the man's lips make the ghosts of words, silent but still trembling half-formed supplications. "You are under my care and shall not be harmed, by myself or anyone else." Beads of sweat broke upon his brow but he persisted with the calming scent alphas could exude. After much squirming and moaning, the omega finally passed out. 

Free to leave his side, Ignis gathered ingredients in the kitchen, soups and teas at the forefront of his mind. Every now and then, his eyes flicked to where the man rested. Dark circles lined his eyes, his skin pale although the fever pressed rose-colored blooms on his cheeks. His shirt was ripped but those were likely made from running through the brush at the top of the hill. Wait, was he wearing two different pairs of boots? 

Ignis frowned, making sure the newly whipped up broth was at a low simmer, before kneeling to take off the muddied shoes. At least this way, he can rest more comfortably and it afforded Ignis a glance at the damage to his foot. There were other wounds that needed tending, but he feared this would further upset the omega, considering he had just been touched against his wishes. 

Only years of brutal tactical training and reflexes kept Ignis's nose intact as he dodged a sharp elbow and fell on his ass.

"Hnnnng...away from me," the omega groaned, utterly spent as he tried to push himself off the couch.

"I believe you're in no condition to get up," Ignis murmured, dredging up whatever alpha instincts remained to soothe the young man.

"Where am I?? Why-why," and at this, the omega keened and tightened his arm around his middle, "You shot lightning at them, how-ah!"

"Ok, enough of this," sighed Ignis, as he scooped him up again, ignoring the protests.

"I'm fucking sweaty," Noctis moaned while squirming in Ignis' hold. _Honestly, why did the omega bother?_ He could barely sit up and here he was trying to wriggle out of his arms.

Ignis deposited him onto the toilet, only to have the poor guy slither on to the floor, boneless. 

"I swear!" Ignis pinched his nose, "Why do you insist on acting like a fledgling omega; what are you 20, 21?" But he just curled up on himself and shook his head, murmuring about the pain. It pulled at Ignis's heartstrings as he sighed and rummaged through the mirror cabinet for painkillers and a cup. "I apologize, I did not mean to yell," he soothed, earning him a guarded look through messy, dark bangs. He coaxed him until the omega warily swallowed both the pills and water. After an awkward silence, Ignis cleared his throat, "A shower can help with your fever and wash away...any unpalatable scents."

The omega scowled, eyes bright. Did this man have no other expression but anger and mistrust? _Fear_ , his ever helpful mind supplied, as the image of what he looked like with a pack of alphas pinning him to the ground forced itself into his consciousness.

"Please," he added.

“What are you doing here, Ignis?” the omega whispered.

Ten years of peace shattered with those few words. His breathing became shallow and still, eyes fixated at a point above the man’s head.

“Ignis?”

“You must be mistaken--”

“Scientia.” 

“Aaah, Shiva’s tits.” The dawning horror from just seconds before turned into a black frozen pit. An apology lodged itself in this throat as he hurried out and slammed the door behind him.

It had been years since he’d let that terrible black fear overtake all reason; even now, his breathing was shallow and his arm ached. The same arm that had taken out an entire contingency of magitek with blistering, electric fire. Sitting by the door, he tried again: “I apologize for my outburst. The years after that were.” Ignis took off his visor to rub his eyes. “Difficult. Would you understand the horror of having a god’s eye on you? To suddenly be chosen for such an act that nearly destroyed mind and body?”

The door gently opened but Ignis tumbled a bit from where he’d been leaning against it. He stood up not knowing what to say now that he was face to face with him. “They don’t mention that in the history books,” the omega said quietly as he sat back down on the lip of the tub.

Ignis snorted. “What do they say then?” He lifted his left arm, criss-crossed with scars that resembled lightning. “That I sealed away Tenebrae from the would-be conquerors? The Oracles have always been a favorite of Shiva but Rahmuh needed his own vessel if he were to lend a hand.”

“They said the old man just felt the injustice of it all and couldn’t bear to see more suffering. But, you’re a hero.” There was not a little awe in his voice.

Ignis recalled some of his many circular arguments. Yes, he’d saved his home from Nilfheim but had been basically exiled, the green forestry and white spires choked off from the world with a biting storm of blizzard and lightning. What was one man’s sorrow compared to a million joys? And so he’d carry his martyrdom and justified it to all those who would look at him with pity. No matter how much it suffocated him.

He inhaled sharply, “Well, now that you know everything about me,” the man had the gall to look embarrassed, “May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?”

“No-Noct...is?” The man blinked at Ignis slowly, before staring at the floor, “Noctis. Just Noctis. Or Noct? Yeah.”

“Do you require any assistance, _Noctis_?” Ignis emphasized his name and the guy gripped the counter that much harder.

Noctis shook his head but he bit his lip; he looked ready to say something but there was food on the stove and Ignis couldn’t bear the ill-concealed pity in those deep blue eyes.

~

The shower was steaming when Ignis returned with a towel. Suppressing a sigh at the sight of clothes on the floor, he picked them up, failing to avoid inhaling the omega’s stress hormone that attacked his senses. His mind immediately ran a reel of horrors of what those animals could have done to him, had Ignis not been there. Had he slept through his dark dreams. He threw the ruined clothing into the trash in disgust and forced himself to focus on the eerily quiet man currently bathing.

"Noctis..." Silence. Steam had fogged the glass panes of the tub with the dampened sound of running water bouncing off the tiles. Tentatively tapping on the door, Ignis called out again.

Panic pushed him to shove the door open to see Noctis curled up tightly, hot water splashing against his back. He kept his eyes squarely above the man’s shoulders as he placed a hand on his neck.

Noctis turned, eyes watery and lined with pain. “I have a potion, in my bag,” he croaked, turning his body further away from him, movement flexing the silver scar from shoulder to opposite hip on his back.

“Noctis,” Ignis paused and sighed, “I’m sorry but I don’t remember-”

“I lost it when I fell down,” he said as a shiver ran through him. “It’s not for...this, but it’s less shitty if I’m not covered in bruises.” At that he peered over his shoulder, one big blue eye cutting Ignis through with impatience.

Ignis swallowed a sharp retort and stalked back outside. Sure enough, a little ways from where he had found the group, was a backpack with a scratched-up malboro charm. He hurried back inside to witness Noctis foolishly trying to get out of the tub, towel precariously draped over his hips as he balanced on one foot. Ignis clasped his shoulders right as the omega slipped. How careless could he be! He set him down on the toilet lid, biting back words of admonishment; Noctis could have hurt himself just to save a little bit of pride.

Noctis reached for the backpack before glaring at him. “Wow, I didn’t know the hero of Tenebrae was a perv to boot.” 

Ignis rolled his eyes, raising his hands, and slammed the door shut behind him. _What an ill-tempered little_ -

“Ignis! Do you have a shirt I can borrow?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose and taking stock of his temper, he answered, “Of course! I’m here to serve!”

~

Ignis stirred the hearty stew, brimming with savory meat and vegetables. _This will surely pep him up_ , Ignis thought, eyes flicking up to the omega as he stepped from the bedroom. Noctis was cleaner, most of the bruising gone and while still balancing on his right foot, he looked much springier than before the shower. But, Ignis wondered, if deep down, he truly was a deviant. He had not noticed, when he dug through his drawers and picked a shirt at random, that it would sit too high above the knees, and that a tank top would provide a delicious view of a pale chest and one pert nipple whenever he moved.

“Um, Ignis?”

His fingers nervously twisted the spoon once before calm settled over his chest once more. Ignis hummed and mechanically spooned the stew between two bowls as his mind continued to fritz. Pursing his lips and still not trusting himself to speak or even look at him, he motioned to one of the stools at the island.

“Is that a carrot?”

Whatever spell Ignis was under snapped and he couldn’t keep the humor out of his voice, “What, pray tell, is wrong with carrots?” He finally looked at him again and purposefully took a bite out of the offending vegetable from his own bowl.

Noctis crinkled his nose but to his credit, did start eating. Not the carrots, or any of the vegetables but enough of the meat and broth to satisfy Ignis. Once they were done (Ignis couldn’t remember a more awkward brunch; not even when his lord had gotten drunk on mimosas and challenged a duchess to a duel) and cleaned up, he fetched the first aid kit he’d stowed in one of the kitchen cabinets.

Noctis hissed when he knelt at his feet. Ignis sighed, “I need to take care of that sprain.” He continued to glare at him. “Look...Noctis,” at that, the omega wavered. Gathering his thoughts again, Ignis pressed on: “I will do my best to see you recover quickly. I’m sure you are eager to return home.”

He didn’t respond to that for a few minutes until he murmured, “Thank you. I-I don’t know how to repay you.” His eyes visibly softened. “For everything.”

“Only an unfeeling person would stand by when they had a chance to act. Ah, there,” murmured Ignis as he snipped off the last of the gauze. When he sensed more than felt deft fingers brush errant strands of hair from his damaged eyebrow, he looked up and swallowed the question as dark blue eyes drilled straight into his heart, bending and cracking what was there.

“Your scar,” Noctis breathed, before he snapped back. “Shitshitshit—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-I’m not-” He shoved his face in his hands, gathering some of his hair and pulling.

“Noctis, please,” Standing up, Ignis gently placed his hands on the young man’s shoulders. “It’s alright, truly.”

He looked up at him, tears dotting his eyelashes. 

“No harm done.” He hesitated but he looked at Noctis’s ankle then back up to meet wary eyes. “But if I may, I worry that your heat is not normal.” The eruptive reactions from indifferent to despondent was typical of an omega presenting in their early teens. Even a late bloomer would have gone through enough heats for them to level out.

Noctis tilted his head back, lips pulled back in a snarl but another cramp turned his glare into a twisted mask of pain. “Uh, um. I guess not, right?” he spat out.

Something about this felt wrong. Ignis, for the last several years, had retired to this godsforsaken backwater. Peace (or boredom) had been his daily routine; only going on hunts if pests were too close to home or if he truly needed the money. And in one afternoon, all this hard-earned tranquility had been shattered by one dark-haired man and his very lackluster answer to a fundamental aspect of his nature.

“You are asking _me_ , if it’s normal for your heats, at your age, to be this volatile?”

Noctis turned an interesting shade of purple, embarrassment etched on his pout, “I don’t know! I’ve been on suppressants for some time.”

“Suppressants? Those are really hard to come by and quite...dangerous.” 

Noctis scowled, “It’s not like I wanted them-”

“What!”

“Uh?” Noctis’s eyes widened. 

While these were invasive questions, his hesitation evaporated as he pressed. “Suppressants are temporary: perhaps a way to quell a heat or two. Noctis, how long?”

“Since my first heat,” he said quietly, shrinking back into himself.

May the great ones have mercy. Since his first heat? Who had been forcing him to take suppressants for nearly a decade?

Those blue, gorgeous eyes looked at him then, part wary yet hopeful. Ignis could only think of gently taking his hands and tried his best to soothe. “Noctis, this is not going to be easy. Do you know what the effects of coming off your suppressants after so long?”

To his surprise, the man slowly nodded. “I tried once.” He looked away so sad, and...broken. “I never did it again.”

Ignis sighed, before pulling away and tamping down the nearly irresistible urge to gather him in his arms. He took note of the peculiar feeling: he was a man of boundaries. Where did this come from?

“We’ll do some research and see how we can manage. I know a doctor nearby who may be able to prescribe some symptom relief but-”

Noctis growled as he hobbled onto his feet, ignoring Ignis’s hand. “No! No more pills, no more injections. I am _done_ with that.”

Packing away the first aid kit he’d left on the counter, he almost commented that he’ll likely change his mind when he was in the throes of his first real heat in years but thought it a bit unfair. No matter: he’ll be ready for whatever was thrown at them.

Noctis limped to the sofa facing the sleek TV mounted on the wall. _Make yourself at home then_ , Ignis mused as he set about tidying the kitchen.

After the silence lingered for nearly an hour: “Ignis…”

He placed the last dish in the rack and wiped his hands before turning to the omega, who now fidgeted with a blanket on his lap.

“I’m in trouble aren’t I?”

“What do you mean? You’re not in trouble with me, that’s for certain.” Ignis paused, “Or, do you refer to the glaives who attacked you?”

“They didn’t attack me,” he mumbled. “I ran away.”

That explained how starved he looked and the dark bags under his eyes. Ignis’s tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as a memory clawed across his mind.

_A throne room, darker than a mausoleum. Soldiers lined up in rows that went to eternity. His bones still simmered and popped._

“I do not know them nor know what they wanted with you.” Ignis knelt next to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. “You are safe here. I will protect you as long as you wish to stay.”

The man growled, shrugging off his hand, “Oh, wonderful! Is my alpha sooo proud of saving his weak little omega?”

Ignis was puzzled by this outburst. Was he being too aggressively protective? Or worse, indicated with actions or words that he thought Noctis helpless? With a cool tone, he tried a different tactic: “I understand not wanting to depend on a stranger who may not have the best intentions. If there is somewhere that is safe for you, I will gladly take you.”

Noctis chewed on his lip, eyes furtive as he drew his knees to his chest. “I-I don’t know anyone out here, and I don’t think I can go home yet.”

“Why not?” Ignis asked softly. He knew that the omega was not all that straightforward with his answers, likely weaving together half-truths on the fly. But this? This came quite close to what he assumed was the gravity of the situation.

“Those Kingsglaive? They were supposed to protect me, but they just—anyway, I left before they could hurt me. I can’t go back home until I know why.” Noctis’s voice cracked just a bit.

“I thought Kingsglaive were beholden to the crown,” he mulled it over. He normally kept to himself but he could always catch the gossip among the hunters. Something of a court noble visiting the outlands would be cause for talk. “What business would a Citadel envoy and glaives have this far out? When exactly did this happen?”

At that Noctis shuddered, decidedly wrapping himself in the blanket. He gave him an empty stare. “It wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said at last.

That didn’t answer any of his questions, but Noctis was clearly upset and right now, he didn’t have the heart to dig into him. So, for the rest of the day, Ignis left him be. While he had a dour little guest in his home, there were still things to tend to, although he was never out of earshot. It was a bit amusing though to see how easily Noctis demanded attention and took command of the space: pillows and blankets have been commandeered while the freezer was slowly bled of its ice cream. 

After picking some tenacious weeds for nearly an hour at sunfall, he rose from his bitter winnings to find the omega glaring at him through the screen door of the porch. Never one to hurry, Ignis disposed of the weeds and cleaned up at the outside basin. He preened under that burning gaze even as he turned back and jaunted up the steps.

“Do you need anything?” His lips twitched since Noctis somehow looked livid while pouting. 

“You were gone for a bit. I needed…um.” Candied lighting splashed across his frame as he fidgeted and Ignis considered mercy. He probably had felt unsafe without the alpha close at hand. It was only natural for an omega in heat to crave the safety: easier to nest, he mused.

“I’m sure I would have been able to help you.” Brushing past him into the cool shade of his home, he added, “All you have to do is ask.”

“Oh, yeah. Uh, then, I’m really tired. I can sleep on the couch. Just need an extra cushion or something. My back kinda hurts-”

“I had no intentions of having you sleep in the living room but now that I know you have back aches,” he shook out his hands as static sprinted across his knuckles. “Did they hurt you in such a way? I swear I should hunt them down myself-”

“Ah, c’mon,” Noctis chuckled nervously, swinging an arm behind his neck. “Uh, well yeah when I tripped down a hill. That sucked. But my back has always been sorta fucked up since I was a kid.” He said that bit slow, as though it was a practiced statement. “Even after the surgeries, things didn’t heal right. I know you saw the scar.” A challenge.

“My apologies but I never meant to pry. That must be painful to remember.”

Noctis shrugged. “It was...forever ago. I just need to be careful.” He then yawned so deeply his jaw cracked. “Mm-sorry. Couch’s fine, really.”

“Darling…” The word felt rusty on his tongue. He cleared his throat when blue eyes gave him a puzzled look over the decidedly awkward pause. “Perhaps you should go settle in bed, hm? I’ll manage just fine on the couch.”

The young omega nodded sleepily and Ignis gently guided him towards the bedroom. With enough blankets and pillows surrounding him, Noctis dozed off in no time. He gave no thought to the pang of longing in his chest.

~

_“Rough him up? I want to do more.”_

_“They said to make it look like he got assaulted, not actually assault him you ass.”_

_“What’s the difference?” More laughter and Noctis wants to scream but that will let on he’s been eavesdropping. He pokes his head inside the room just enough to see Libertus on the ground, unmoving. His stomach drops. What in the Astrals--_

_“Maybe Gladio should have trained you better in stealth.” Darkness soon followed as hands closed around his throat._

~

A flare. That was the only explanation Ignis dredged up from the depths of his sleep-addled mind as to why the poor man was trembling before him.

“S-sorry, but I, could you—” Noctis wrapped his arms tightly around his middle, a pitiful whimper tramped behind his teeth.

“C’mere.” His mouth was cotton still but Ignis pushed off his blanket to awkwardly embrace the omega. He tilted his chin so the soft lamplight could better catch his eyes, and just as he thought, the lovely blue he sported were swallowed up by black. Cheeks flushed, hair sticking to his forehead in sweaty clumps.

Ignis soothed and soothed until Noctis hung limp in his arms, muttering nonsense or abandoned apologies. They both needed to rest now but the man clung to him like a vine.

“S-stay,” the hoarse whisper wrapped around his heart and *squeezed* pushing the words out his lungs, treacherous as ever.

“I’ll stay for as long as you want me.” And with that, the omega sighed and closed his eyes as Ignis lifted him (compact, heavier than he looked) and settled him back into the veritable nest of a bed. He rearranged himself as best as he could, keeping Noctis at a distance and wondered, wondered with a valley between his brows and an ache in his chest, if and when this would destroy him.

~

Reason had nothing to do with it. Ignis was firm and polite after that night. The first few days were easy: Noctis spent most of the day resting or reading, unable to do much with the sprained ankle or the sudden flares. And if Ignis found his heart a little lighter every time he returned from the garden or a short hunt, well he couldn’t be blamed for it when he was met with drowsy eyes and a crooked smile.

But now, Noctis could manage limping behind Ignis as he puttered about in the dirt and leaves. He seemed to enjoy kneeling next to him and tugging at weeds, ruddy cheeks smudged with mud that Ignis has to resist wiping off. 

And while curiosity burned within him, Ignis never asked further about his circumstances. It was the least he could do since, except for that first day, Noctis hasn’t asked about Tenebrae or the lighting scar that branched from his left temple to nearly down the cheekbone. He did catch a glimpse of his back again, when a flare left him sweating and fitful and he’d taken the shirt off to cool down: gnarled pinkish flesh of the wound from shoulder to his waist plus straighter thinner scars near the bottom of his spine likely from the operations to repair the damage. Ignis didn’t ask about those either.

They had a quiet if uneasy routine, but Ignis couldn’t help but muse how simple it was for Noctis to fold into his life. The most difficult part was dealing with Noct’s taciturn or impetuous mood: he chalked it up to the heat’s hormone fluctuations but he suspected some of the behavior was simply part of his personality.

Mostly because after a week, two days since the last flare, Noctis imperiously reclined on the couch and demanded that Ignis remove the bindings around his ankle.

“Look, I’m fine. And without it, I can help you around more or even go on a hunt.”

Ignis hummed, annoyed, “I have managed fine on my own. Besides, the hunts I go on are too dangerous for a novice.” He wondered what in his actions implied that he would be willing to endanger either of them.

“I got plenty of training,” Noctis scoffed, wiggling his toes as Ignis pulled his foot onto his lap to inspect. 

“Perhaps, but a practice dummy is not comparable to a snarling demon. And the Hunter’s Guild will frown upon me doing something so stupid as to take a green one on such an expidition.”

“Well you never sparred with a stupid ‘glaive-”

“A what?” His hands froze, fingers tightly curled around the bandages. He’d thought that the glaives had just been protecting him, some noble son of the Lucian court. Did they bestow nobles the honor of training with the best warriors of Lucis?

Noctis groaned. “Forget it, please.”

“Well, I don’t think you are yet ready,” Ignis muttered, mind whirring at the implication that this man, for some reason, had trained with the Kingsglaive. Something like cold dread settled over his shoulders as he quickly rebandaged his ankle. “You need to ice it again; perhaps rest. I need to run to Meldacio to pick up some hunts.”

Noctis scowled and he wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d stuck his tongue out at him. But no, he pulled on the plush blanket and a few pillows, nestling in deep, like a chocobo burrowing into their hay.

 _Thump_. Ignis looked up from packing some spare supplies to see Noctis throwing a pillow across the room. 

“I’m so _sick_ of being hot and sticky. I’ve showered twice today!”

“And you’re running out of clothes,” Ignis sighed. Perhaps his taciturn moods would improve with new scenery? “Come with me then. We’ll find you something that actually fits you.” 

Noctis perked up and scrambled to put on his mismatched boots. Tilting his head, he slyly looked back, “But I like wearing your clothes.”

Ignis fumbled with the keys a bit as he locked up the cabin. Two could play at this. “You’re taking too long.” He hefted Noctis on his shoulder, who loudly protested, and if his alpha hindbrain purred at this display, well there was no one else around to comment.

~

“I want it.”

“Noct-er,” Ignis swallowed the name. If Noctis truly was hiding, perhaps it wasn’t best to say his name aloud like this. He coughed. “Hm, why would you need a children’s pool?”

Noctis waved his hand, his other arm heavy with sturdy albeit plain clothes. “Well, instead of melting every five minutes, I can just put ice and water in this and relax outside. I have a better view of you working and can help.”

Those big, blue eyes caught the late afternoon sun that drifted into the store, making them glint with innocence.

“You are terrible,” Ignis murmured, taking all the items from him. He himself carried some extra potions and hunting gear. He had enough gil but couldn’t help calculate how many hunts he would need to make up for it.

Noctis hopped down the few steps outside the store, pockets deep in the hooded sweatshirt he insisted on wearing. It covered his dark hair and shadowed his soft face; which was as inconspicuous as a disguise could be in late summer. As soon as Ignis turned to ask what they should have for lunch, a hunter he vaguely recognized jutted into their path.

“Hey, man! It’s been a while.” Pearly white teeth blinded Ignis for a second but he managed a mellow hello.

“I’ve been back a few times. _You_ were the one out on that behemoth hunt.”

“Oh yeah; took two weeks to corner it,” his eyes shifted to something behind Ignis. “‘Ey, who’s your new friend?”

Ice water poured down his spine. This man was not interested in chit-chatting; he was an alpha who had picked up on an omega’s scent. Ignis choked on his growl: a display like that would just draw attention. Noctis was a capable man who had already made his disdain known of alphas strutting--

“Kinda hot for a hoodie,” he said, reaching out. “How can you _stand_ this heat?” 

Ignis immediately raised his hand as a warning yet he remained unfailingly polite. “No need for that. He’s rather shy and we are quite in a hurry to get home. We’ll chat later, yes?” Noctis took his cue and scurried to the passenger side of the vehicle. 

The alpha gave him a strained smile and half-hearted wave. Ignis started the truck and sped off then turned to Noctis who was visibly shaking. 

“I just want to go home.” The omega yanked off the hood and refused to look at Ignis. “I’m just going to relax in our brand new pool.”

When they returned, Noctis was true to his word. That very same afternoon after a light lunch, he blew up the kiddie pool, filled it with ice and water and gleefully plopped in. It took only two minutes until he dozed off as Ignis worked with the bees, carefully removing the panels ladened with honey.

What was difficult to describe was the quiet joy of watching him, at the store and here splayed out like a starfish. The sun had almost set when he sat on the porch, leaning against one of the rough-hewn pillars, only to lean forward. Even in the dying light, he noticed Noctis’s grimace and twitching; while he’s not at risk of drowning, Ignis still walked over only to see his face red with tears dribbling down his cheeks.

~

_Something gross is shoved into his mouth as he’s rolled onto his stomach, tears stinging his eyes._

_He didn’t know whose hands...Their voices were all the same. This wasn’t real, it wasn’t real, not to him, HIM! He tries to kick and wriggle out of their grip but the heat has weakened him too much and he is dizzy and sick. Somebody shoves his pants and underwear down and he_ begs _._

_“Can’t go running off to Niflheim without knowing what a proper knot feels like.”_

~

“Noctis, please wake up. I think you’re dreaming.” His chest was heavy with apprehension as he brushed away his bangs. He had noticed that the omega was at times plagued by nightmares but he refused to talk about them. Whenever he could, Ignis would gently shake him and ended up comforting him more often than not. 

A sudden yell shook him to action. Hooking his arms under Noctis’, Ignis pulled him out of the cool water; he hoped it would shock him awake.

His eyes finally opened and looked up at emerald green eyes. A sob wracked his body as he curled into himself to try and shake off the nightmare. Biting back a whimper, he looked over to Ignis who had gently set him down on the grass before stepping away.

“Do you want me to stay with you, just for a bit?” Ignis did _not_ fidget but he definitely kept his eyes on anything but his face. Noctis was soaked through and the way the shirt stuck to him was a sin so his eyes glued themselves to the ground.

Noctis considered rejecting the offer, feeling quite contrary, when the wrong words slipped out: “Um, yeah? Could you just...uh.” 

An inexplicable sense of relief washed over him as he smiled.“Is this alright?” Ignis curled one arm over his shoulders while the other rubbed soothing circles on his back; it wasn’t necessarily intimate but his heart raced nonetheless.

Noctis let his head rest on his shoulder, gruffly assenting. It was more than alright: Ignis was warm and smelled fantastic. Noct tilted his head and seemed to resist the urge to press his nose to the column of his throat, inhaling the sweet and rich scent he offered. 

“No, uh,” Noctis shook slightly as he leaned back, “I’m sorry; I-I’m taking advantage. I’m so-”

Ignis bumped his chin with a light tap of his knuckle. “You have not overstepped any boundaries with me.” At this, the omega’s brows notched up so he gently cupped his cheek. “I’m here to help however I can.”

“Ha!” Noctis elbowed him and stomped back into the cabin, likely to dry off. “What I need is not something you can give!”

Ignis tilted his head and smiled again. “Oh?” he turned away. “And why is that?” He decided that the evening was cool enough for a fire so he gathered kindling into the firepit. 

His voice carried from inside the bedroom: “I need a good knot.”

Ignis fumbled with the matches, a spark from his fingertips setting the box ablaze. Flinging it into the tinder, he watched it flare up then settle into a hearty little fire. “Astrals forgive us-Noctis!” Noctis’s sweet laughter only exacerbated his embarrassment. 

“I’m kidding!” The man had grabbed two folding chairs from inside and set them around the fire. “Besides, I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“Unlikely,” Ignis muttered as he settled on a chair.

“What do you mean?”

Ignis was glad for the dark: his ears were burning. “I-it is…” He scrutinized the omega before continuing, “You are a lovely companion and I will be saddened when you leave.”

“You Tenebreans are so sentimental.” Noctis chuckled. At this, Ignis stiffened. “Your accent, and the food you make. A-uh a small delegation came one time. They stayed at my house?”

“You are a terrible liar, Noctis.”

“You can call me Noct you know, like in the store?”

“Why did you lie?” Ignis recognized the hard edge around his voice.

Noctis looked into the fire and chose his words carefully. “Before the attack, I went to visit.” He lifted his gaze and again; they searched for _something_. Was he hoping that the man from his textbooks would have some sage advice or hold the key to solving total war?

Ignis nodded, his eyes distant. His silence must have gone on too long because Noct suddenly threw a stick at him. “Hey, so what are those boundaries that I didn’t overstep when I was about to climb you like a tree?”

“You seem to be insistent on breaking those boundaries,” he snorted, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. It wouldn’t do to blurt out that no, there was little that he would deny him when it came to Noctis. _Oh no._

The omega stood up and pushed himself between the alpha’s outstretched legs. Ignis immediately reached out to him as though to push him away. 

“Ok, that’s one boundary.”

Ignis shook his head, “I was just surprised.” He skimmed his fingertips over the man’s palm. 

Noctis did not pull away. Instead, he murmured, “Could we go inside?”

He must be chilly but there really was no need. “If you’re cold, I can hold you.” He couldn’t have imagined the amused purr but Noctis did settle over his lap while the chair made a squeaky protest.

The omega shivered. “Your scent is really nice.” His lips were so close to Ignis’s ear with the way he had tucked his head on his shoulder. 

Ignis tightened his hold on him. He couldn't voice that Noct’s scent made him _ache_ and burn. It simultaneously anchored and lifted him. “It helps with your heat, yes?”

Noctis practically moaned his agreement as he nosed up his neck. “You’ve helped me much. I wish there was a way to repay all this. Food, clothes, shelter...” A deep sigh tickled his throat.

Ignis licked his lips, eyes drifting down to Noct’s mouth. Bringing his fingertips to rest right under his chin, he tilted the omega’s face just enough to slot their lips quite sweetly. It started as small pecks, chaste in how quick and light they were until he (accidentally, really) licked the seam of his mouth. _Liar_. That’s what he was because he’d been dying to know, just how far he could go. Liar in so many ways but his body betrayed him in how greedily he took of what Noctis had to give, all tongue and plump lips, sensuous jaw an anchor for his hands.

They broke apart to take a breath, foreheads touching. “I never intended, I swear.” He swallowed, sounding like a drowning man.

Noct murmured, “Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?” He sighed before laying soft kisses under his jaw. “I didn’t mean it like that. I want to do this, especially if you want to do this too.”

Ignis froze then, recalling the omega’s earlier comments, “Are you—this is not a form of recompense, is it?”

“I doubt you should be rewarded with someone like me.” Noctis wrinkled his nose but before Ignis could speak again, he pressed his lips to his to stop any further reason. No more reason just skin and warmth and his hand moving under his shirt-

Before the chair tipped over and sent them sprawling over the dirt. Noct outright laughed while Ignis chuckled weakly. “Go on inside. I’ll take care of the fire.”

The short fall had knocked the air out of his lungs and some sense into his head. Ignis suddenly felt all of his 32 years and divine intervention as he painfully shooed Noctis off. The omega sensed something had shifted so he shrugged and stalked back to the cabin. 

Ignis chewed the inside of his cheek to keep from calling him back. He couldn’t face him after that shameless display and yet his very soul begged to have the younger man near again. He picked up the fallen seat and sank into it, staring at the empty chair across the fire.

~

For the next few days, Ignis went out on hunts and miscellaneous errands. Noctis probably suspected half of it was made up but sure enough he would come home with gil and groceries. Ignis had nearly fainted when their hands accidentally brushed while handing him a plate of food one evening. He basically fled and settled into the couch for the night.

The nightmares...the nightmares were still there. Noctis knew Ignis must hear him begging or crying in his sleep. After one such dream, he had curled into himself, tears staining the pillow. He heard him but never comforted Noct again. 

In the living room, Ignis blinked up at the ceiling, dawn’s light making window patterns across the room. His leg was cramping up but that couldn’t be helped on such a short couch. Briefly closing his eyes, he could hear Noctis’s quiet sobs from the bedroom. His chest painfully constricted at the sound but his transgression from earlier in the week wasn’t something to be swept away. The poor man was a guest under his roof and probably felt compelled to repay him somehow, and Ignis like a touch-starved beast had taken advantage of that. He was no pure-hearted soul, eager as he was for companionship and the man’s attention, so if he went in now, he would be as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Noctis deserved better than that. Better than him.

When all was quiet, he got up and tugged on his hunting gear. There was a nest of monsters not too far from here and he needed something to kill. 

~

“You’re back,” Noctis croaked, before clearing his throat and rubbing his eyes.

It was late afternoon. After the hunt, Ignis had showered and changed, tiptoeing around his bedroom as the omega laid sprawled on the bed, lightly snoring. Quite peaceful and heartbreakingly precious.

Now, he looked more like a ruffled chicken. 

Ignis weakly lifted the tray in his hands, careful not to spill the hot soup, and set it on the bedside table. 

“Sorry, I slept all day,” he mumbled as he scrunched up into a ball, tugging at a pillow.

Ignis’s lips twitched and for his part, he would let him sleep more but he really needed to take a look at the ankle. “It’s alright, but before you go-”

Noctis groaned and buried his face in the pillow.

“Oh don’t complain. This could mean you can get off your ass and help me around the garden.” The comment had no real bite but he still had to dodge the pillow thrown his way as he chuckled.

“Ugh, fine. But what about hunting?” The brat fluffed the rest of the pillows around him and reclined back, his right leg sticking out for Ignis to inspect. 

Ignis only hummed before sitting at the edge of the bed. Any answer would either eject Noctis out of bed in search of a demon to slay or have him pouting and complaining about the unfairness. Placing his foot on his thigh, his eyes flicked up to meet his in order to gauge his comfort before snapping back to the task at hand. His nose twitched at the tell-tell scent of arousal.

“As I thought,” he murmured, setting aside the bandages and helping Noctis through some rudimentary ankle stretches. “All is well! You should have no problem putting your full weight on it but nothing too strenuous…” Just then, Noctis moved his leg so that Ignis’s hand now rested on his shin.

“Ignis?” His voice was crystalline and sweet. “Why are you avoiding me?”

Noctis was so warm, soft skin belying the taut muscles underneath. Ignis skimmed further up his leg with the barest hint of his knuckles. Daring to glance up again, the omega’s hungry gaze met his and it took everything in him to rip his hand away and stalk out of the room. 

~

Ignis did find it all a bit ridiculous so he gave in just a little. He tasked the omega with some heavier chores around the property. Brush needed to be cleared by the fruit trees and the tomatoes were ready to be picked. And when the nightmares disturbed their sleep, Ignis gently shook him awake. He didn’t scent him or hold him like he used to but instead they sat around the kitchen island and chatted until Noctis began to doze off again.

“Fish, fish, yoouuu can’t stop me,” Noctis hummed as he lugged the tackle box down the road to the lake. 

Ignis grumbled under his breath. He cursed his past self for thinking it had been a stroke of genius to boast of the fishing in the area. Besides that, he thought the walk from his home to the little pier on the lake was good exercise for Noct’s tender ankle. To his befuddlement, the omega was downright enamored with idling hours away, hours better spent hunting or tending to the garden.

“It’s not a garden at this point, Ignis!” Noctis had waved his hand over the acre of land brimming with apples and peaches, carrots, legumes, broccoli, eggplant, and even the small section of honeybees boxes. “It’s a damn farm!”

Ignis quietly followed behind, carefully skirting the buzzing thoughts that inch by inch began ripping through the careful veil he’d hung around his emotions. Noctis was a darling and easy to dote on. Sweet and awkward with sudden bursts of charm and he was over the moon like a love-sick idiot. He almost wished their comfortable silence could be broken by conversation so as to better distract him from the litany that ran circles in his mind. An argument that had started only a few days prior between reality and what he so badly wished for.

He cared deeply for Noctis and Noctis had...some form of affection for him. Ignis wanted him to stay but Noctis had a home and people missed him.

But in all this time, Noctis rarely brought up his past. In fact, except for that first day, he hadn’t said a word about it. Ignis slowed down as they came upon the pier and the omega set about fussing with his pole and bait. Misery slipped into his veins as he realized, too late, that this man was a stranger. And for all their stories and banter late into the night, he himself was a stranger to Noctis. How could Noct care for an alpha he barely knew?

He tucked away those feelings and contented himself with watching Noctis so at peace fishing, the sunlight glinting off the rod.

An hour. An hour of reeling and humming before Noctis spoke: “I’m not very good at this.”

“I can tell,” Ignis mused but in all honesty he didn’t know what Noct could be referring to. Fishing? Conversations? Whatever godsforsaken interaction this was?

“I like you,” Noct said quietly.

“I would hope so?” Again, deflection but Ignis had gotten very good at it. “We even shared the same bed for at least a week.”

“Absolute worst,” the man muttered. “I want to stay with you.”

Ignis fiddled with the katana strapped to his hip. “But…don’t you have loved ones--”

“More than that.”

Ignis waited. 

“I was supposed to marry a Niff general. That’s why I was out here.”

The peaceful noises of nature twisted itself into a high-pitch screech. Were the relations between Niflheim and Lucis deteriorating that badly? He wasn’t as arrogant to assume that sealing off Tenebrae would cripple the northern nation but perhaps it would serve as a rallying cry. And yet, there was no other sovereign power on the continent who could stand against Niflheim; the kingdom of Lucis, with all their blessings, was no match after this decades-long war.

Noctis reeled back the fishing line, seemingly lost in thought. “I know I’m doing something good, yeah? And I have to go back and face whatever...but I want to choose.” He set the pole down and stepped firmly in Ignis’s personal space.

Ignis panicked but it’s been too long since they’ve been this close and his sweet, fruity scent made him sick with want. He needed to step back but Noctis grabbed his sleeve.

“I want to mate with you. You,” Noct swallowed thickly. “You see me as a person; not just an omega or a walking title.”

Perhaps being the only alpha around while Noctis had his first real heats had tricked him into believing these feelings were true. Ignis painfully pulled away from him, knowing that Noct saw the misery etched on his face.

“Please,” his wide eyes drank in the twilight hues of the sky, a shimmery mixture of pity and hope. “And to be honest, I’m, I’m not sure this isn’t just the heat. But I _like_ you, Ignis.”

The question hung between them. _Do you like me, too?_ If Ignis said anything then nothing would stop him from taking what was so kindly offered on a silver platter. “Best to get going, before the mosquitos get us.” 

Noctis snorted and waved his comment away. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

~

It was a couple of days later that Ignis was cleaning up after breakfast and Noct idled on the island.

“Ignis.”

Was his voice an octave lower? Ignis scrubbed the pan harder.

“You can say no.”

He barely avoided dropping the dish into the rack, his movements nearly betraying his frazzled nerves. Schooling his face into placid blandness, he turned around and said: “Say no to what exactly?”

Noctis’ smile was feral with bright, hungry eyes. Leaning forward on the counter, he said, “I like the way you look at me when you think I won’t notice.”

“I was merely-” He couldn’t finish. Was he that easy? His cheeks reddened at the implications of that so he moved on to the couch, ignoring his burning gaze.

“Ignis.”

He clenched his fist and finally looked at the omega. “Noctis--”

“Noct, please.” His face was so sweet and earnest that Ignis sighed.

“ _Noct_ , do you-”

Noctis titled his head and smiled. “Do I what? Do I know what I’m doing? Taking advantage of my host?”

Ignis scowled, “You are not taking advantage of me.”

Noct moved like a panther as he slid from the stool to the side of the couch, and hovered over him, like, like-

“I’m taking advantage of you,” Noctis spoke slowly like Ignis was a bit too daft to understand what was going on. “You come home and see me. There’s not a lot of places you can hide. You feed me; you even bought me clothes.”

Ignis would have argued with that if he wasn’t so busy admiring the man’s sinewy form as he settled over his lap.

"Go on, it's ok." Noctis took his hand and placed it high on his waist, a chaste gesture should Ignis wish to pull away. 

"It's wrong for me--you're a guest in my home. I would be taking advantage of _you_ ," Ignis pronounced. But it escaped neither of them that he hadn't moved his hand away. The alpha clenched his other hand: his will of iron rusted by the gentle ministrations of a blue-eyed minx.

"I think it's the other way around," he murmured, pushing closer so they were chest to chest. "I'm in heat again, you're an alpha and I know how much I affect you. I want you to fuck me on every surface of your home."

Ignis parted his lips, the only sound a pitiful whine. Clearing his throat, he blinked slowly, grumbling, "Just not the kitchen counter, please?" 

Noctis grinned, all teeth and excitement. He stopped his squirming long enough to ask: "You’re a knight of the queen’s then?" 

_Oh._ “As true as the crown,” Ignis sighed, laughing into Noct’s shoulder. It should have shamed Tenebrae that such a private practice was known across the continent. Among the royal guards who were alpha, it was simply easier to cut the cord, so to speak. 

It was impossible now to reverse the surgery as only the Oracles could heal such a deep wound. Besides, who would want to mate with a discarded, broken thing like him? 

To distract himself, Ignis began to knead his thumbs into the sharp bones of the omega’s pelvis. It didn’t matter in the end.

Noctis kissed his cheek, lips soft and light. “Must have been super popular.” He emphasized that by squeezing Ignis’s biceps.

“At times I wish I hadn’t turned down as many people,” he snickered. “But I was serious and dutiful to the royal family. Such liaisons were distractions: sometimes welcomed but most often not.”

Noctis cupped his face and leaned in so they were nose to nose. “I’m gonna go outside. Ready when you are.” He yanked on the throw that had been neatly folded behind Ignis’s head and waltzed out the door.

Biting back a scolding (how awfully rude!), Ignis lingered on the couch. A deep breath did little to calm his heart. He wanted this, he told himself. Noctis wanted this. He stood and stepped out towards his garden.

Noctis was laying out by the wildflowers on the soft blanket, perhaps watching the clouds pass by. Ignis took in the scene, chest filled with butterflies: dark hair that had started to curl at the ends with how long it’s gotten, Noctis wore one of his tank tops, black shorts peeking under the hem.

“Noct,” Ignis sat next to him and tapped his forehead. “Are you alright?”

“Mmfine,” he mumbled before opening his eyes and smiling sleepily. “You’re really pretty like this.”

Ignis huffed and he couldn’t help returning the smile, “Pretty how?” he teased. 

Noctis shrugged before saying: “Don’t know.”

Ignis skimmed the edge of the shirt causing Noctis to shudder. That thrilled his gremlin alpha. “Why did I buy you clothes when you were going to just take mine?”

The omega settled on his side then, pressing his face at Ignis’s throat. "I like your scent on me." Noct's lips skimmed the outer edge of his ear, warm breath making Ignis shiver.

How long has it been? Since he had _anyone_ , let alone one solid omega, all lithe muscle and sweet skin? _Ages_ ; his instincts and lust coiled tight in his gut as he carefully slipped his hand over Noctis's. "I would be remiss to deny how much you affect me. But perhaps your first time would be better spent--"

"I want to know what it feels like," Noctis turned his palm up to grasp his fingers, and lifted his hand to his cheek, his night blue eyes boring into Ignis. "I want to know with _you_." He leaned in, shyness making the light kiss nearly effervescent and Ignis's head swam with the knowledge that this was real and Noctis was real and perhaps the gods didn't despise him after all.

He thumbed the corner of Noct's lips, and before his blasted logic could muscle its way into this dream, Ignis planted one kiss after another over the man's face, earning him surprised giggles. Pulling back, he admired the flush on his cheeks and the crooked little grin.

"We'll take it slow, yes?" Ignis asked, tucking his glasses away where they wouldn't be damaged. 

Noctis bit his lip, before swinging his legs over Ignis and settling bodily right over his hardening cock. Of course. Cheeky git. For someone who was apparently new to this type of intimacy, he found exactly where to grind to get the full effect of Ignis’s erection. 

"Don’t need to." Eyes meant to drown his every protest. 

"Noct, I said we should take it slow."

"If you haven’t noticed, I’m having a flare so like there's tons of slick and also I've been hard for the last twenty minutes. And," Noctis shifted, gently grinding down on him, and Ignis could barely contain the small gasp of pleasure. " _And_ , you don't seem to need it either."

"It's more than that."

"You don't like me?" He sounded so disappointed and oh no, Ignis needed to make sure that Noctis knew that he was good. That he was beautiful, and that Ignis wanted to take the pain away whenever he became saddened or hurt.

"I like you more than I should, a strange runaway in heat with a mysterious past he refuses to talk about."

Noctis scoffed, and he gave an experimental roll of his hips that set Ignis’s face aflame. He had to move this along or he would burst.

"Noctis, would you kindly allow me to take off your pants?"

Noct raised his eyebrows before laughing outright. "Iggy, we are about to fuck outside, on the ground. Drop the polite act."

Ignis sniffed as he helped the omega out of his trousers, "Doesn't mean we can’t be civil." That earned him a shrug but perhaps Noctis had a point, being that they were hardly better than animals just because they were atop a blanket and still kept most of their clothes on. 

"I just plan on riding you,” he said lazily, peering down his nose at him. 

Ignis hummed before sliding his hands up muscled thighs, squeezing and relishing the slight give. Looking up, his lips twitched at the sudden nervousness Noctis displayed clear across his face. He noticed he had demurely tugged the hem of his shirt over his very prominent erection as well.

“You can tell me to stop if it’s too much.” Ignis watched Noct’s face for any sign of discomfort as his hand made a loose fist around his cock.

He tilted his head, a tiny pleased hum escaping his lips. “It’s not that. It’s…”

Ignis propped himself up on his elbows so Noct could better read the sincerity in his eyes. “I’m here to serve, yes?”

At that, Noctis shook his head, “You shouldn’t say stuff like that, you know.” He splayed one hand across Ignis’ chest and not too gently pushed him back down before straddling him once more.

Ignis expected false starts and trembling hands for the omega’s first time. Not the efficient slide down his cock into slick folds, the sharp moan, the way he greedily took his pleasure. _How long had he been waiting for this?_

Noct murmured something before closing his eyes and stopping right above his growing knot. The overly large tank top did nothing to hide his flush chest and maybe another time he could wrap his tongue around the dusky pink of his nipple; but, what Noctis needed right now was a bit more momentum.

Ignis rolled his hips up, eliciting a breathy gasp from the omega. Dark clouds filtered out the sun, creating a holy rim of light around Noct’s form. “You are beautiful,” Ignis murmured as he picked up the pace, his knot growing rapidly. Static skipped along his skin, and throwing his head back, Noct’s tight warmth and sweet moans his only anchor, he came with a surprised gasp.

“I-I’m sorry but I can-can’t take your knot,” Noctis looked down at him with wide eyes, trembling on the verge of his orgasm. “It’s too big, and I—”

“No, darling. It’s quite alright. Here,” Ignis placed both his hands on his waist, guiding him as far down as he was willing to go. Noctis smiled, closing his eyes as a cool wind whipped up his hair, before he rose up on his knees again and again.

Petrichor filtered through his joy and pleasure of watching Noct come apart on his cock, his dripping cunt just touching the swell of Iggy’s knot. He couldn’t feel too bad about that as the omega panted above him, cheeks red and shivering from the after-shocks of his orgasm.

Noctis swayed a bit, before leaning down to kiss him fervently on the lips. "Iggy, I..." His eye twitched and before Ignis could react, Noct scrambled off him and threw up, thankfully far from the edge of the blanket.

"Oh dear," Ignis sighed, mentally checking off another symptom for an omega in heat. Noctis was trembling, still on hands and knees, when the pitter-patter of rain began in earnest. He grabbed the blanket and clothes, then picked Noctis up amidst mild protests, rushing them inside just as thunder cracked overhead.

Noctis was looking green again and Ignis was glad to be doing something with his hands. They always shook during storms.

"Sweetheart, let's get you situated, shall we?"


End file.
